Ashbound: Crown of Sin

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• Announcements·13 Aug 2026Official

  We Are So Back!

  Devlog – Combat Overhaul, Loot, Skills, Smarter Enemies & More Hey everyone!As some of you may have noticed, I haven’t been sharing many updates on our social media channels for quite a while.Unfortunately, the past few months have been extremely difficult for me financially. I lost my job, and at one point I came very close to losing the place I was living in as well. Because of that, development of Ashbound: Crown of Sin had to slow down significantly for a while.Even so, I kept working on the game whenever I had the time and opportunity, and looking back, quite a lot has actually changed during this period.So, here’s what we’ve been working on. More Alive NPC Behavior NPCs now behave much more naturally while going about their lives.Instead of remaining permanently fixed in one location, NPCs can:Sit around campsStand guardPerform their own activitiesWander around areasIt’s a relatively simple change mechanically, but it makes inhabited areas feel significantly less static. New Dynamic Camera System A new camera system has been developed to give environments a more cinematic presentation.Although Ashbound still primarily uses a fixed camera perspective, different areas of the map can now dynamically adjust its rotation.This allows certain paths, landmarks, encounters, and environments to be presented from angles specifically designed for those locations.The goal is to retain the readability of the existing perspective while making exploration feel much less visually static. Customize How Ashbound Plays One of the larger additions is a new collection of gameplay settings that allow players to customize the difficulty and even the overall rhythm of combat.For example, animation cancelling can now be enabled or disabled at runtime.With animation cancelling enabled, combat becomes much more responsive and closer to the flow of a hack-and-slash game.Disable it, and attacks become commitments, creating a more deliberate style where every action needs to be considered m...
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• Patch Notes·24 Jan 2026Official

  Devlog – Skeleton Reassembly, Dialogue & Quest Systems, Greatsword Combat Update

  This month’s update focused on expanding the game’s systemic depth outside of pure combat, while continuing to push the greatsword’s identity further. Here’s a breakdown of what’s new.Skeletons Reassemble Unless You Stop Them!Skeleton enemies now have a unique reassembly mechanic.When defeated, their bones remain on the ground for a short time and begin to pull themselves back together. If the player doesn’t interrupt this process with another hit, the skeleton will fully reassemble and rise again.This turns skeleton encounters into more than just “kill and move on” situations. You’re encouraged to stay aware of fallen enemies, manage space, and finish fights properly instead of rushing ahead.Added Dialogue SystemThe dialogue system has been significantly expanded.You can now interact with NPCs you encounter in the world to:Talk and learn about their storiesAccept questsAccess services such as trading (shop system coming later) Dialogues are no longer isolated interactions; they’re now a core layer of how the world communicates narrative, gameplay opportunities, and progression to the player.Quest System FoundationsA foundational quest system is now in place.Players can:Accept quests from NPCsView and track active questsProgress through quests in a non-linear way Quests are closely tied to the dialogue system. Accepting a quest can unlock new dialogue options, trigger world events, and change how NPCs react to you.Continued Greatsword Combat ImprovementsGreatsword combat continues to receive focused iteration.Enemies now react more strongly to greatsword hits. Both damage reactions and block responses have been reworked to feel heavier and more physically believable, supported by improved animations and sound design. Other improvements include:Faster attack flowIncreased swing momentumAcceleration-based chained combos that build power as they continue Overall, the greatsword feels more dominant and expressive than before.To balance this increased power, a greatsword...
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• Announcements·24 Dec 2025Official

  Devlog - Core Combat Strategy Changes & New Equipment & New Enemies

  Core Combat ChangesGreat Sword attacks are now slower but significantly more powerful, while Short Sword remains faster and more agile. Instead of chaining shared combos between the two weapons, each weapon now has its own independent combo set.This change slightly slowed down the overall pacing, making combat feel more grounded and deliberate but also unlocking much more flexibility for the future. With this system in place, adding new weapon types such as maces, great hammers, or two-handed axes becomes far more viable, since every weapon can have its own unique rhythm and combo logic.Dual Dodge SystemWe also introduced a dual dodge system to deepen positioning and defensive choices:Quick Step A fast, short-distance evade designed to avoid a single attack and immediately counter.Roll A longer evasive move that creates space, helping you reset the fight or escape pressure.Each dodge serves a distinct purpose, encouraging players to think about how and why they evade, rather than dodging by habit.Cleaner Hit FeedbackBased on player feedback, we further reduced screen effects when taking damage. Camera shake intensity was lowered again, and emphasis shifted toward hit stop and animation feedback.The goal is clearer, more readable combat where impacts still feel strong, but never overwhelming or disorienting.New Enemy TypesWe’ve started expanding enemy variety with two new classes:Skeleton Enemies Skeletons are generally slow and fragile, but they often appear in large numbers. Despite their low health, they deal relatively high damage. They wield weapons such as swords, maces, shields, spears, and crossbows.In the future:Skeletons will be immune to bleeding and burning effects.Powerful strikes (especially from heavy weapons) will be able to dismember limbs, temporarily disarming them.Fallen skeletons may attempt to reassemble themselves unless you finish them off properly.Zombie Enemies Zombies share the slow, fragile nature of skeletons but overwhelm through sheer n...
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• Announcements·1 Dec 2025Official

  Devlog - Polishing Combat Feel & Visual Readability & More

  Hey everyone!This month was all about refinement, taking your feedback and using it to make every hit, animation, and visual cue feel sharper and more satisfying. Many of you mentioned readability, pacing, and feedback clarity, so that’s exactly where our focus went.Hit Reactions & Impact FeedbackWe toned down the screen effects and camera shakes that occurred when taking damage. Instead, we shifted the focus to hit stop to make impacts feel weighty yet clean.The player character now also plays damage reaction animations when hit, making combat exchanges look more believable.Enemies with shields have been reworked too: they now play proper blocking animations when deflecting sword hits instead of just sliding backward. It adds a lot more physicality to the fight.Arrows now visibly stick to enemy bodies, which feels oddly satisfying.Refined Weapon Flow & Combo LogicThe way the player holds the greatsword has been updated, and transitions between short sword and greatsword are now smoother.Both weapons now feature fully implemented combo chains, and each has situational advantages. Some combos are better for:Bleeding enemiesBreaking guards/posturesHitting through blocksDisabling shieldsThe greatsword also received a big balance pass. It now deals more damage, closer to the short sword but with slower swing speed and wider impact arcs, allowing players to hit multiple targets at once.Pacing & Damage BalanceWe’ve adjusted overall combat pacing to feel faster, riskier, and more tactical.Enemies at your level can now typically be defeated in 5–6 hits, and the player can also die after roughly 5 hits. This makes fights more momentum-driven, removing “damage sponge” encounters while keeping tension high. You’re stronger but also more fragile.As your gear and stats improve, your survivability will naturally increase.Enemy Armor & Damage TypesEach enemy type now reacts differently to your weapon types and damage sources.Heavy units (like brutes) take little damage from short ...
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• Announcements·7 Nov 2025Official

  Devlog – Combat & Control System Updates

  ARPG-Style ControlsMovement is still WASD, but you target enemies by hovering over them with the mouse.Interactions and skill aiming are based on your mouse position.When hovering over an enemy, their HP and Guard bars are now visible.Damage numbers appear at the enemy’s location when you hit them.This makes targeting more intentional and improves overall combat readability.Archery & Ranged WeaponsHolding Ctrl opens a ranged weapon panel (currently only the bow is active).While holding Ctrl, you can aim and shoot in the direction of your cursor.This adds new flow options during combat: creating distance, applying pressure, and punishing openings.Ranged tools now help shape the tempo of engagements.Active Skill Slot SystemWe’re working on a system where you can assign abilities to Q, E, R, and F.A few prototype skills are currently being tested to see how they affect combat pacing.Parry-Only vs Unstoppable AttacksEnemies now telegraph attacks in two colors:ColorInteractionResultBlue AttacksCan be parriedSuccessful parry triggers a counterattack. Failing a parry (or blocking instead) still results in taking damage.Red AttacksCannot be blocked or parriedYou must dodge to avoid them.This system emphasizes timing and decision-making.Removal of StaminaWe removed the stamina system entirely. Even softened versions of stamina (slowdowns, damage penalties, etc.) still interrupted combat flow.Now:You can attack and dodge freely without artificial slowdown.Combat remains fast, expressive, and aggressive.We found that stamina was adding friction, not depth.Dual Weapon Combat: Shortsword + GreatswordWe introduced a two-weapon combat flow:Left Click: Shortsword combosRight Click: Greatsword strikesThe two can be chained together smoothly in mixed combos.Weapon identity:WeaponStrengthsWeaknessesShortswordFast, consistent damageWeak at breaking GuardGreatswordHits multiple enemies, strong Guard breakSlower, lower base damageAdditional nuance:Some enemy types take reduced damage fro...
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